Tech college shocker: Punjab Technical University closes 4 of 9 institutes of technology

Diluting the previous Akali government’s initiative to promote technical education in remote areas by opening Punjab Institutes of Technology (PITs), IK Gujral Punjab Technical University (PTU) on Wednesday decided to close four of the nine institutes due to “non-viability”.

As per the notification issued by the PTU registrar, admissions to four PITs — at Amritsar, Khunnimajra in SAS Nagar and two at Dinanagar — have been discontinued with for the 2017-2018 session. Meanwhile, admissions are being carried out at the remaining five institutes at Batala, Rajpura, Hoshiarpur, Moga and Sultanpur Lodhi .

‘Students not opting for BTech’

Officiating vice-chancellor and secretary, technical education, Kahan Singh Pannu told HT that there were hardly any students interested in taking admission to the BTech course at these institutes.

“We have not closed these institutes, but are restructuring them into skill development centres. The staff of these PITs would be used at these centres,” said Pannu.

Sources said with most of the students showing no interest in pursuing BTech, the PITs have failed to meet their purpose, due to which the authorities have taken the decision to convert these into skill development centres.

These institutes were the brainchild of former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, who wanted to provide the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) standard of education to the rural youth through these institutes. As per the proposal, faculty of the IIT standard were to be recruited at these institutes, which were opened during the tenure of the previous regular V-C Dr Rajnish Arora in 2012-2013. These institutes were opened at centrally funded polytechnics already running in these areas to promote technical education